Automatic head-gate.



K. KEELER.

AUTOMATIC HEAD GATE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19. 1914.

Patented July 27, 1915.

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KARL KEELER, OF ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN.

AUTOMATIC HEAD-GATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 27, 1915.

Application filed June 19, 1914. Serial No. 846,148.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KARL KEELER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ann Arbor, county of VVashtena-w, and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Head- Gates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic headgates.

The present invention has for its object I the provision of an automatically acting headgate of improved construction adapted for regulating the flow of liquid from a vat or other vessel, or the flow of water from a reservoir, river, canal or waterway, or the flow of water or other liquid from, any source whatsoever in which the surface of the water or other liquid is caused to rise or fall.

The invention set forth hereinafter embodies improvements on the automatic head gate of my co-pending application, Serial No. 809,35, filed December 29, 1913, particularly in the provision, first, of a lip de pending from the headgate; second, means for permitting the flushing off of sediment from the headgate by the flow of the water; third, a means for varying the size of the stream to be regulated by the gate; fourth, automatically acting means, preferably levers whose fulcrums shift as the levers rock, thus changing the ratio of the effective lengths of the arms of the levers on opposite sides of their fulcra, thereby allowing the gate to be pulled down, by the weight of the liquid contained init, to such a point that the quantity of liquid passing the gate shall be regulated as predetermined; and fifth, of an automatic headgate which will regulate the flow of a stream of liquid regardless of fluctuations of the liquid surface behind as well as in front of the gate.

I am aware that other means than rocking levers whose fulcrums shift, could be employed in carrying out the automatic compensation above referred to and I do not limit myself to the use of levers having shiftingf'or rocking fulcra, except where specified in the claims.

In its broadest aspect, the invention contemplates the provision of a spring-suspended headgate adapted to utilize the weight and pressure" of water to automatically regulate the amount or volume or flow which may pass the gate, and in a second aspect,

it consists of a spring-suspended headgate and means through which the tensile force exerted by the springs upon the headgate will be automatically regulated, in direction and amount, in such a manner that the headgate shall be heldat such a height above the bottom of the conduit that the flow of liquid past the headgate shall conform, relatively accurately, to a predetermined regulation.

The embodiment of the invention hereinafter set forth and disclosed in the drawings is to be considered as illustrative, rather than restrictive, of the scope of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure l is a perspective view, broken away, showing a conduit and the headgate of the present invention for regulating the flow through said conduit; Figs. 2, 3, 4, detail views showing different forms of screens applied to the headgate; and Fig. 5, a diagrammatic view illustrating the operation of the headgate.

The conduit 1 may be of concrete, lumber, or other suitable material, provided with an upwardly extending gate-box 2. The liquid enters at 3 and the proper amount as regulated by the gate, emerges at 1.

The headgate of the present invention is shown at 5, the same being of some suitable metal or material which will not be clamaged by the action of the liquid. This gate has a closed horizontal bottom 6, a vertical rear wall 7 vertical side walls 8 and 9 and an open front 10. The open front 10 is provided with vertical strips or flanges 11 which prevent the sides 8 and 9 from bear ing against the side walls of the gate-box 2 and thus friction is substantially eliminated. Depending from the bottom 6 at the open front 10, is a flange or lip 12 which extends completely across the gate 5 and whose pur pose is partly to stiffen the bottom 6 and partly to arrest the flow of water coming through the conduit 3, when the water surface rises slightly above the level of the bottom of the lip 12 and by backing up the water and causing a consequent contraction of the vein as at Q," (Fig. 5), so choke or cut down the vein or contract it that, within a certain small variation of head, the maintenance of a constant 'flow will be had without any movement of the headgate 5;

A frame 13 which is pivoted to the sides of the gate-box 2 at 1 1 and to the lips 11 at 15 and arms 16 pivoted at 17 to the gatebox 2 and at 18 to the top of the gate 5, constitute the means for hinging the headgate 5 so that it may rise and fall, being located in advance of the headgate, these hinging devices take up the lateral pressure directed on the headgate by the water and thus render unnecessary the tracks and rollers used in my earlier application, Serial No. 809,345.

The automatically acting suspending means for the headgate consists of rocker levers 19 which are provided with elongated curved or rocker faces 20 resting upon angle-iron brackets 21 whose vertical parts are secured to the vertical parts of the gatebox 2. The forward ends of the levers 19 are pivoted, by links 22 to the forward part of the gate 5, and may be, through said links 22, connected to the pivots 18 of the levers 16.

Coil springs 23 which are secured to brackets 24: are, at their upper ends, connected by yokes or links 25 to the rear ends of the levers 19. Headgate 5 being in the raised position shown in Fig. 1, if the water rises above the lip 12 and flows into the gate 5, "the weight or pressure of such water 'will cause the gate to descend, as more fully set forth hereinafter, and such descent will cause the levers 19 to rock on their fulcrum faces 20 which automatically causes a shift ing of the fulcrums of said levers, the Y- ends thereof becoming shorter and the X- ends longer, in relation to the fulcra thereof; at the same time, the springs 23 will be stretched. There is, therefore, an increased spring tension caused as the headgate 5 descends more and more, due to the increasing weight of water flowing therein and a correspondingly decreased spring tension as the water surface in front of the gate lowers. This action will be clearer from the diagram of Fig. 2 and the following explanation.

Referring to Fig. 5, let it be assumed that a certain quantity Q of water is to be kept flowing under the headgate 5. The gate will be so adjusted, by any suitable means, as by a nut on the lower end of the springs 23 hearing against brackets 24, that Q-second feet will flow under the gate 5 when the water surface in front of the gate is just level with the bottom edge of the lip 12. If the water surface in front of the gate rises slightly, the water will strike the and a shortening of the gate arms Y of the levers 19; this causes the gate 5 to come to a rest position or balance. By virtue of the curvature of the. fulcrum faces 20 of the levers 19 this balance or rest position is reached by the gate 5 when it has lowered sufliciently to compensate for the increased head 2'. 6., when the area of the opening under the gate has been sufiiciently decreased to allow just the given quantity Q to pass the gate. As the water rises higher in front of the gate the gate is caused to descend low-er and the fulcrum points to shift farther forward, increasing X and decreasing Y; thus automatically the area ofthe opening under the gate is at all times i kept ust of sufficient size to allow the pre- 1 determined quantity Q gate. 7 7

As the water in front of the gate lowers, the reverse operations are caused to take place, viz. the weight in the gate decreases,

to flow past the the gate is caused to rise by the tensile force.

of the springs, and the fulcrums shift backward, the area imder the gate being at all times kept of sufficient size to allow just the predetermined quantity Q to pass the gate.

To illustrate further: Let it be assumed that there exists a given condition such as appears in Fig. 5, where WV. S. represents the water surface in front of the gate, a distance H above the bottom of the conduit and let WV. S represent the water surface behind the gate, a distance H above the bottom of the conduit; then the head, which we will call h, which causes the flow under the gate is equal to H minus H and the weight of water in the gate, which holds the gate down to its proper position, is proportional to 72,. Then assume W. S. to lower to W. S an amount say equal to D. Then the head h (which causes flow under the gate) will become 71. which equals'h minus D, and the weight of water in thegate which holds the gatedown to its proper positionv is proportional to 72.. Now assume the original conditions, W. S. and W. S to again exist and then assume W. S to rise to W. S, an amount equal to D; then'the head it (which causes the flow under the gate) will become h which equals 7:. minus D, and the Weight of Water in the gate which holds'the gate down to its proper position is proportional to 72,. From this it will be seen that the rising of the water surface behind the gate has the same effect as the lowering of the water surface in front of the gate and vice versa. Therefore the quantity of water which will pass the gate will remain constant regardless of a fluctuation of water surface in front of or behind the gate:

Preferably, small holes of one-quarter or one-half inch diameter 26 are provided in the sides 8 and 9 and the back 7 of the gate at the level of the bottom 6 and, if desired, a few in the bottom 6 itself, to permit the escape of sediment carried by the water and to prevent its accumulation and consequent addition to the weight of the gate which would render the automatic operation thereof inaccurate.

I may also provide in the gate-box 2 immediately in front of the lips 11 and 12, a removable choking down board 27 shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, to permit the normal flow through the conduit to be reduced to the volume desired.

Where the water in the canal or conduit carries leaves, grass, etc., I preferably provide screens (Figs. 2, 8, 4:) on the headgate. Whatever passes through the screen will be flushed through the holes 26. In Fig. 2 the front of the headgate 5 is provided with sheet metal 27 having punched holes 28. In Fig. 3 a screen or netting 29 is located at the lower part of 27; and in Fig. 4, the entire front of the headgate has a screen 30.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a fluid conduit, of spring suspending means, an upwardly and downwardly bodily movable headgate having a laterally disposed bottom and an upright breast, and compensating connectionsbetween the spring suspending means and the headgate, whereby the spring tension exerted on the headgate is automatically increased or decreased according to the variation of the weight of the water on the headgate.

2. The combination with an upwardly and downwardly movable headgate, of suspending springs therefor, and levers interposed between the said gate and springs, said levers having automatically shifting fulcra.

3. The combination with a fluid conduit, of a bodily movable headgate having an upright breast and a laterally disposed bottom provided with a vein-contracting lip depending therebelow, and spring sustaining means for the headgate.

4. The combination with a fluid conduit, of a bodily movable headgate having an upright breast and a laterally disposed bottom provided with sediment discharge openings, and spring sustaining means for the headgate.

5. The combination with a fluid conduit, of a bodily movable headgate having an upright breast and sides and a bottom, and sediment discharge openings in its sides and bottom, and spring sustaining means for the headgate.

6. The combination with a fluid conduit, of a bodily movable headgate having an upright breast and front, and a laterally disposed bottom and provided with numerous small openings in its front adapted to prevent foreign matter from passing to its interior with the water flowing through said openings, and spring sustaining means for the headgate.

7. The combination with a fluid conduit, of a bodily movable headgate having an upright breast and front and a laterally disposed bottom, and provided with numerous water-receiving openings in its front, and also having sediment discharge openings, and spring sustaining means for the headgate.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

KARL KEELER.

WVitnesses:

KITTY KEELER, C. E. BARTHELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

